Huzzah....

I (Donna) woke up early to get a run in this beautiful town.   The concierge sent me down to a walking path near the Charles River.  After the run, we all got a light breakfast at a nearby bakery and then we were off on a trolley tour for the day.   Because the trolley was over crowded, we opted to do the short walk to Boston Commons and enjoy the swan boats.

From this morning's run

Our trolley tour got turned around today because a tractor trailer's brakes failed and crashed into a bridge near Boston Commons.   Somehow we wound our way to a restaurant/bar where everyone knew our names.... we decided it'd be great to grab lunch while we were there.   Afterwards we hopped aboard our trolley and meandered our way through Boston and Cambridge.  

Towards the end of the trolley tour,  we took advantage of a "complimentary" harbor cruise that was a part of the cost of the trolley tour.   The cruise provided more history about the city of Boston and a chance to see the city from a beautiful perspective.  

From the Harbor Cruise

We learned that many of the wharfs were man-made

Little did we know that our favorite part of the day was waiting for us:  The Boston Tea Party Museum.

As it's getting late, Donna passed the blog torch to me.  I must admit that I wasn't too hyped about seeing the tea party museum because I had seen it (or at least had seen a much earlier rendition of it) the one and only time I had been to Boston over 20 years ago.   It has really changed, and I found myself very enthusiastic about this museum as it was the perfect precursor to our history tour tomorrow.  It is now a fantastic tour.

The tour was conducted in several stages.  The first was in a meeting hall type of room with characters dressed in their December 16, 1773 attire.  They appealed to the audience with several  reasons why many of the colonists had become so enraged by their treatment by the English; i.e. wanton taxation without any representation or voice back in England.  Back then, this type of meeting had to be conducted in private with the utmost secrecy and fidelity to protect each other since other colonists remained loyal to the crown.  In our meeting re-enactment, the audience was encouraged to get involved, and it really did drive the point home of how frustrating it would have been to be a citizen of Boston back then.  It was also fun to get a little emotionally invested in the events.  The title of this blog was a word taught to us by the presenters - "Huzzah" - which basically is a triumphant and celebratory cry of agreement.

We then moved outside to a period ship at the wharf and simulated the actual tea party by throwing stuffed tea boxes overboard (they were attached by ropes to the railing so that they could be retrieved).  

We later went back inside for a mock debate between King George III and Samuel Adams followed by a discussion between two colonial women - one loyal to the crown and the other to the revolutionaries.  

One very interesting aspect of the tour involved the display of half of an actual box from that fateful night that had once contained the tea.  This box had been thrown overboard that night and then recovered from the harbor the next day by one of the revolutionaries as a keepsake.  It wasn't really discovered until the late 1800's when it was revealed by a woman that it had been passed down through her family.  It has since been on display at the Smithsonian for some time and is now back to where it all started.  

The tour was capped off with a short movie depicting the prelude to war and the first shots in Lexington, MA.  It was a great lesson about the immediate events leading to war as well as an inspiring account of their patriotic fervor.  Those were much more simple but very dangerous times.  People basically wanted to be left alone by their government and to live free lives.  That message resonates with me.  It was a great and moving lesson for today.  

Donna here again...  I wanted Runcie to write about the Boston Tea Party Museum for two reasons.   First, and most of all, watching him shout out cheers of approval and boos of disapproval made my heart smile.   Both he and the kids were thoroughly enjoying the "event."    The other reason I wanted to pass the torch to him was that my heart was heavy. On the way back to the hotel we noticed a protest on the steps of a government building.   Of course we had to go see what that was all about.  After reading some signs we learned they were protesting violence in the Middle East.  When we finally got back to our hotel, we learned of all the events that happened today.   Tumultuous times we are in.   We are thankful for this opportunity to learn about our nation's birth and all those who fought for the freedoms we now enjoy.   Still our hearts and prayers are with those who lost loved ones in the plane crash today and we continue to pray for peace in the Middle East.